The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-22

The Annals ofthe Mahaska Family PoIramy .
Feature.

spirits of the Indian dead who once
roamed over his hunting ground. He
relates that one time, back in the'3Os,
Iowa was the hunting ground, with
Others, of the Sac, Fox and Iowa tribes
OF Indians. The latter, at one time.
was n very powerful tribe; brave and
resolute in many undertakings OF
warfare against the Sioux and
0sages. They early made n good
reputation, and are mentioned with
praise by Lewis and Clarke, the
early explorers. That they were OF q
migratory character more than COM
mon to the aborigines of that day is
shown by the fact that about sixteen
removals were made by them They
first came down the Mississippi river
to Des Moines, and there many villages
we're found III what now constitute
the counties OF Van Buren,, Davis and
Wapello. Thence they went to Dakota
then back to Nebraska, and had their
final camp in Iowa in the Grand river
country-in Wayne, Clarke and Lucas
counties. The Iowas were divided in
eight leading clans each bearing the
badge OF some animal or bird, and
each clan had its own peculiar manner
of cutting theha Thus: the eagle clan
wore two locks OF hair on the front
part of the head and u long tail be-
hind A caucus OF the clans must
have shown many OF the fashions
that have been seen on the heads OF
white women since that day. Some
OF the Jealous Indians called them
dusty Noses" because they camped
on sandbars and often scrubbed their
bodies clearly with sand. Atan early
day the Iowas were once invited to II
dog feast by wandering band OF the
Sioux. Man-haw-gaw was the leading
Iowa chief and between the dog least
and the DOW WOW the Sioux killed
him. Ever after it was n bloody time
when IN Iowa could get ut the Sioux.
The Osages Joined with the Sioux and
they had to take Their wolloping
whenever it was handy. These abor-
iginal cocks-of- the walk were the tribe
which gave birth, home and room to
fight to the great family OF Mahaska!
Man-haw.gaw was the paternal an
cestor OF Mahaska the elder. The
name properly spelled is Ma.has.kah
and means White Cloud.
That Mahas-ka was IL brave man
is shown from the fact that he had
seven wivesl He never applied for n
divorce from any OF them, Tut it was
the gossip about camp that occasion
ally one would go down to the Des
Moines river to battle, and would be
found quite dead the next morning.
This necessitated the chief TO bring in
another one to hold his number up to
the golden seven. That he lived with
seven wives shows him to have been n
master hand at management. No
man to-day could do that. One is
about all that the wisest and best OF
our statesmen can manage, as we all
know from observation. His bravery
was not confined alone to living with
seven wives. He was always at the
head OF the Iowa war parties, and at
his belt dangled very many scalrs OF
the Sioux and Osages. In 1924 he went
TO Washington and visited President
Monroe, and upon his return he took
himself to the ways OF peace, bnilt
double log cabin, and lived in COM
fort. In 1888 some OF his men were
connected with killing scrape, ard
General Clarke ordered that they be
arrested. Ma-has-kah having adopted
peaceful ways, said that 1T should be
done. and assisted ia the arrest OF the
men and sent them TO FIT. Leaven.
worth. There one Of them threaten
ed to kill him when he got out This
Indian made his escape. and during
The fall OF 1884 nc found Mn-hns-knh
camped on the Nodaway, in the south
ern corner of Cass county, and there
murdered him in q very cowardly
manner. At about fifty years OF age
this great chief, the winner OF eighteen
battles, ended his career. His death
caused great mourning in his
village. His seven wives went into
mourning and poverty, and one OF
them-who bore the name OF Female
deer. that bounds over the prairies-
refused ever afterward To be comfort
ed. The assassin OF Ma-has-kah took
refuge with che 0tocs, but as they did
not want to mix in the coming war.
they killed him and sent his scalp to
the lowas. An accomplice was also
executed by the Iowas. speaking OF
Ma.has-kah's death, the braves said:
1.-THE greatest man who ever made a
moccasin track in the Nodaway valley
has gone to the happy hunting
grounds" Ponies and dogs without
number were slain in memento Mori.
Ma-has-kah was full six feet two inches
in height, of great physical strength and
much manly beauty. On his death